The Anatahan Volcano in the Mariana Islands erupted again in early July 2005, spewing ash to an elevation of 12,000 meters (40,000 feet). Earthquakes and small explosions followed the eruption, and the volcano has continued emitting ash and steam.
On July 11, 2005, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) flying onboard the Terra satellite captured this image. Ash and steam drift westward from the volcano’s summit, and vog appears at the far left of the image. Vog forms when volcanic pollutants mix with oxygen and water in the presence of sunlight.
NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides daily images of Anatahan.
